Pertamina says no public response thus far to Tangguh project

State oil and gas company Pertamina said on Tuesday the public had thus far given no responses to the state company and its contractors' call for their participation in designing the Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Irian Jaya.

"There is not yet any response from the public," Pertamina's spokesman Toto Suparto told Petromindo. Com

Late last month, Pertamina and BP Amoco, the lead consortium of the giant project, called on the public, including the local communities, non-governmental organizations, to give inputs to the companies as part of their participation in the study of the environmental impact of the project.

Pertamina and BP Amoco has also published advertisement on the local papers to encourage the public to give the inputs.

The call was made in line with the new governmental regulation No. 8/2000, which requires oil and gas contractors to involve the local communities in designing their projects to avoid dispute over the environmental impacts of the project in the future.

The regulation was made following the outbreak of many disputes pitting villagers and oil and gas companies over pollution over the past two years.

Toto said Pertamina and its contractors gave the public until October this year to give their inputs.

"This is the first oil and gas project, whose design making involved the public," Toto said.

Pertamina and BP Amoco expected to start the construction of the project in 2004 and they were actively looking for the buyer of the LNG.

The Tangguh plant will be supplied with natural gas from the Wiriagar, Berau, and Muturi blocks which have a combined 14.4 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves. (*)